Lee Jae-myung "Waives Immunity from Arrest"... Ruling and Opposition Parties Clash with Harsh Words and Loud Shouts

Sketch of Lee Jae-myung's Keynote Speech Scene
Loud Shouting Between Each Other During 40-Minute Speech

"How many people have died in the Daejang-dong investigation?" VS "You killed them"

On the 19th, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, delivered a negotiation group representative speech at the National Assembly, which was marred by loud voices and harsh language from both ruling and opposition party lawmakers. Targeting the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, Lee unleashed strong criticism, calling it a '5-give-up government' and an 'investigation-arrest-political conflict government,' and took the bold step of renouncing his 'immunity from arrest' related to his judicial risks. Subsequently, lawmakers from both sides engaged in a fierce verbal battle over the Daejang-dong case involving Lee.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Lee Jae-myung fiercely criticizes the "People-abandoning government"

On that day, Lee delivered his second negotiation group representative speech in the plenary session of the National Assembly. He criticized the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's first year by saying, "I woke up to find a backward country." Lee said, "Within one year of the new government's inauguration, the Yoon Seok-yeol administration gave up on people's livelihood, economy, politics, diplomacy, and safety, and abandoned the people who are the nation itself," calling it "in short, a 5-give-up government, a people-abandoning government."

Just four minutes after the speech began, lawmakers from the People Power Party strongly opposed it. The first to rebut was Im I-ja of the People Power Party, who said, "That's wrong," to which Democratic Party lawmakers responded, "That's right." In response to Lee's criticism that "the people are being driven to fend for themselves," People Power Party lawmakers sharply criticized, saying, "That was done during the Moon Jae-in administration." Meanwhile, Democratic Party lawmakers cheered with a total of 33 rounds of applause every time Lee finished a statement, boosting morale.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Lee explained, "The government has neglected people's livelihood," adding, "In reality, it costs over 10,000 won to eat a pack of ramen or a kimbap roll, and students who find even snack bars burdensome turn away." People Power Party lawmakers shot back, "The Moon administration made it like this," and when Lee pointed out the rise in household debt, jeers such as "Who made it like that?" and "Stop obstructing" were heard. Some lawmakers even disrupted the speech by coughing loudly.

Lee particularly targeted the prosecution, saying, "The prosecution, which should uphold constitutional values and protect the rights of the people, protects 'our' president while relentlessly wielding a knife against the people." Referring to the prosecution's investigation of the party leader and the Democratic Party, he said, "Where have the principles of presumption of innocence, non-detention investigation, and trial-centered justice gone? Arrests and indictments are being overused," calling it an 'investigation-arrest-political conflict government' (search and seizure, arrest and indictment, political strife).

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Lee also said, "It has already been 80 years since liberation, but Japan still has not apologized for forced labor," and criticized, "Yet our government has deprived Japan of the opportunity to apologize by citing 'third-party compensation'." Mentioning the issue of 'Fukushima contaminated water discharge,' he said, "Our government is promoting the safety of contaminated water even more actively than the Japanese government."

In response, a Democratic Party lawmaker shouted, "Is this the Japanese National Assembly?" When People Power Party lawmakers strongly opposed this, Democratic Party lawmakers also raised their voices in return, making the atmosphere in the plenary session even more hostile. Especially when referring to the prosecution's investigation of the party leader and the Democratic Party, the two parties clashed more fiercely. When Lee said, "Arrests and indictments are being overused," People Power Party responded, "That's because they committed crimes." When People Power Party lawmakers shouted loudly, "How many people have died in the Daejang-dong investigation?" the Democratic Party retorted with harsh words, "You killed them."

Lee, referring to his own prosecution investigation, said, "I will not tolerate their (the prosecution's) attempts against me," and declared, "I will give up my immunity from arrest regarding political investigations against me." He continued, "As I have done so far, I will respond to summons not 10 times but 100 times," and declared, "Even if an arrest warrant is issued, I will appear voluntarily, undergo the warrant's substantive review, and expose the prosecution's lawlessness."